Spool-changing mechanism for looms



Nov'. 4,1947. J. M. BARRERA" 2,429,977

' SPOOL-CHANGING MECHANISM FOR LOOMS I Fiied Jul 25, 1945 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov; 4 ,1947. MBARRERA I 2,429,977

' SPOOL-CHANGING mscnmxsm FOB LOOMS Filed July 23, 1945 5 Sheebs-Sheet a ,4wzlafwW Nov. 4,1947. 7 JI.'M.BARRERA V 2,429,977

SPOOL-CHANGING MECHANISM FOR Looms Filed July 25, 1 945 I v 5 snets-snee'ps Nov. 4, 1947.

J. M. BARRERA SPOOL-CHANGING MECHANISM FOR LOOMS Fil ed July 23, ,1945 5 Sheets-SheetA Nov. 4,' 1947; J. BARRERA I SPOOL-CHANGING MECHANISM FOR LOOMS Filed July 23, 1945 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Nov. 4, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application July 23, 1945, Serial No. 606,591 In Spain August 19, 1944 Claims.

The present invention refers to a mechanism for bringing about the changing of the shuttle spool in automatic looms when the thread of the weft is exhausted.

In the mechanisms known up to the present for carrying out this operation, the changing of the spool is brought about suddenly-and brusquely at the moment when the slay or batten receives the shuttle and reaches its rear dead point. This compels a rapid changing movement by means of a member that strikes one of the spools from a suitable holder, which is situated at a certain distance above the shuttle. The .mechanisms known up to the present have the disadvantages that the changing has to be brought about in a very short time, and faults or defects are frequently caused through the new spool not coinciding exactly with the position of the shuttle and through the brusqueness of'the stroke necessary to effect the change.

The mechanism which is the object of this patent avoids in the most absolute manner the above-mentioned disadvantages by offering the means of bringing about the change during a relatively long period of time and in such a manner as to produce no brusque blow ormovemerrt, but carrying out the change through the pressure of an organism that functionsgradually.

The essential characteristic of the mechanism that is the object of this'patent'is that the chang ing of the spool is brought about :at various times and in successive operations combined with the movement of the batten. There takes place first of all the action of the :feeler, which brings about the change of position of certain intermediate organisms; then the action of the said organisms on a feeding arrangement to bring about the ejection of a full spool from the container to place it on the shuttle that is holding the empty spool, and :finall-y, the action of a hammer or introducing organism that exercises .a gradual pressure on the full spool that is on the shuttle and obliges it to expel, through the lower 112111, the empty spool and to take its place. The mechanism that is the object of this invention comprises asp'ool container suitably attached to the framework of the loom, so situated as to lie very near and slightly above the -shuttle-:box. It also comprises an organism combinedwiththe said container to bring about 'the displacement of the lower spool, and cause it to :fall over the shuttle that has entered the shuttle-box. This displacement is brought about through the previous action of a .feel'er'mechanzism of any .known type, that in its turn :acts on a set of levers provokes "the movement of the feeding organism and causes a spool to leave the container, and finally, it comprises :a passing or introducing member fixed in the slay itself in the neighbourhood .of the shuttle box, moved by a mobile buffer to exercise a pressure on the shuttle, ejecting the lower spool, this operation taking place during one of the movements of the batten, so that the change properly speaking may be carried out during a relatively long time period, and without either the spools or the shuttle receiving any blow or shaking.

Moreover, the mechanism also comprises an organism intended to determine the exact position of the shuttle in the shuttle box, and that acts after the arrival of the shuttle in the shuttle box, so that if the latter, for some reason, should not have entered sufliciently or should have moved towards the outside, the above-mentioned organism will push it by its extremity until it is situated in the .exact position necessary to assure that the change of spool shall take place with all certainty.

In the attached drawings, there is shown as an example, a preferred form of carrying out the mechanism that is the object of this patent.

Figure .1 is ape'rspeotive View of the right side of a loom provided with the spool-changing mechanism in accordance with this present invention, and in the position of normal functioning of the loom.

Figure 2 shows the mechanism while the spool feeler is inaction.

Figure 3 shows the mechanism at the moment when .the full spool is being ejected from the container.

Figure 4 gives a view of the mechanism at the moment when the hammer or passing or introducing member is in action, changing the spool from the shuttle, .and

Figure 5 represents the mechanism, as seen from the front of the loom, and shows the arrangement for correcting the position of the shuttle.

In these drawings, in represents one of the lateral frames of the loom, that of the right side in the example shown, and H represents the batten that, in the ordinary form, carries the shuttle box l2 and that oscillates around the lower end of the supports or feet l3.

At a suitable point in the framework of the loom there is situated the spool container or magazine l4, consisting of a rectangular box contain-ing several spools placed one above the other I5, IS. The front wall of the said magazine or container has a slot H5 in its under part, through which a spool may be made to come out at the rig-ht moment.

The magazine is situated at a level slightly above that of the shuttle box when the batten is in its rear position, in such a manner that when 3 the spool |5 comes out it falls into the shuttle box, placing itself just over the shuttle contained therein.

The mechanism also comprises an axle 2!] arranged parallel to the lateral framework of the loom and near the inner side of the spool container or magazine. The said axle 20 rests on suitable ball bearings of the supports 2| and 22, fixed respectively to the front part of the framework and to the back part, this latter at a point masked by the spool container or magazine M. The support 2| also supports an elbow-bend lever 23, 24 that oscillates around the axle 25, parallel to the batten and arranged in such a manner that the lower arm 23 carries a plate or loose element 26, the position of which can be changed by the action of the feeler of the spool, whereby, when the thread of the shuttle is exhausted, the feeler comes into action, causing the small plate 26 to revolve, and then the stop-peg 27 of the batten strikes forcibly against this small plate and causes the lever to oscillate around its axle 25. The arm 24 of the said lever acts on a second elbow-bend lever 28, 29 that rotates around the axle 30, also mounted on the same support 24. The arm 29 ends so as to form an inclined plane in such a manner that it leans against the end of the arm 3|, fixed, in its turn, to the end of the axle 20 and that the rotation of the lever 28, 29 raise the said arm 3|, also causing the rotation, from a certain angle, of the axle 2|]. The arm 3| is provided at its end with a notch 32, thus becoming caught in the lever 29. Moreover, at the opposite end of the axle 20 or in any other suitable point therein there has been attached the arm 33, which is drawn downwards by a spring 34 stretched between the arm in question and a convenient point on the framework or mounting, so that the axle 20 has always a tendency to regain its original position.

On the axle 20 there has been solidly fixed the plate 35, which presents an inclined edge or plane, as at 35, the purpose of which will be described later on. This plate 35 also forms the ears 31 supporting the runner rod 38, set parallel to the axle 20. Finally, at a suitable point on the axle itself 20 there has been mounted the free rotatable member 49 provided with a buffer 4| and a slide block 42, this member being connected by means of the spring 43 with a projection 44 of the plate 35, in such a manner that the piece 4|] has a tendency to follow the oscillation or rotation of the said plate 35.

On the batten itself and on the front part of the shuttle box, there has been placed a hammer or introducing or passing member which carries out the change of spool, this hammer being constituted by a support 50 attached to the batten, which maintains an axle 5| parallel to the shuttle box, there being able to oscillate on this axle the hammer 52 provided with two curved arms 53, turned towards the shuttle box. One of the arms is prolonged upwards to form a projection 54 which constitutes a stop peg that, in the normal working position of the loom, slides over the bufier 4| and the slide block 42 of the piece 4|) as may be seen in Figure 1.

The spools l5, l5 contained in the magazine or container M, as has already been said above, may be made to come out one by one to make them drop into the shuttle box. For this purpose a feeding organism (Figure 2) has been arranged, consisting of a plate 55 arranged in the back part of the container l4 and mounted so as to oscillate on an axle 56 placed horizontally. The upper part of this plate forms a lateral projection 51, that comes opposite the end of the rod 38. The lower part of the plate 55 is joined to a pusher 58 that penetrates into the lower region of the container in such a manner that, on the plate 55 oscillating, this pusher causes the lower spool to come out through the slot l6.

The working of the mechanism is as follows:

The loom may work normally, the organisms being arranged as can be seen in Figure 1. The feeler of the spool acts in combination with the shuttle box of the opposite side of the loom, which is not shown, in such a manner that when the shuttle with the exhausted spool reaches the shuttle box on the opposite side, the feeler brings about the oscillation of the small plate 26 and, when the batten moves ,to its forward position, the stop-peg 21 of the said batten (Figure 2) strikes against this small plate and produces the oscillation of the lever 23, 24, and this in its turn, through the intermediary of the lever 28, 29, produces the oscillation of the arm 3| and of the axle 2B, which is stopped by the notch 32. Although when the axle 25 rotates, the plate 35 also rotates, the piece 40 has not moved, because the butt 54 of the hammer passes over the slideblock 42.

The rod 38, parallel to the axis 20 has been thus transferred to a higher plane and, in this position, during the backward movement of the batten, it is pushed by a lateral projection 65 of the hammer at the moment when the batten reaches its rearmost position, and the shuttle 6| proceeding from the opposite shuttle box is introduced into the shuttle box |2 carrying the exhausted spool 62. The rod 38 is axially displaced, and causes the feeding organism 55 to oscillate, which causes the full spool 15 to come out and to fall into the shuttle box and to lie on top of the shuttle that has entered the'said shuttle box. (Figure 3.)

The batten, continuing its alternative movement and being already provided with the full spool on the top of the shuttle, goes forward toward its original dead point, and during this trajectory, the butt 54 of the hammer or introducing member, comes up against the buffer 4| which obliges the hammer to rotate gradually (Figure 4), the curved arms being introduced into the shuttle box and pushing the full spool downwards, which in its turn expels the already exhausted spool 62 through the bottom. When the batten arrives at the end of this journey, the butt 5-4 of the hammer, which has taken up an inclined position, pushes the buffer 4| slightly upwards, thus obliging the axle 25 to rotate leaving the locking mechanism 29 free, whilst the members return to their original positions to continue the normal functioning with the new spool. The spring 63 lifts the hammer and returns to its original position.

As has been stated earlier, the mechanism may be completed with an arrangement for assuring a correct position of the shuttle at the moment when the change of spool takes place. For this purpose there is attached, as may be seen in Figure 5, a support 65 fixed to the batten, and which sustains a mobile member in combination with the plate 35 already mentioned. The support 65 sustains, at a convenient height, an axle 66 on which there may oscillate the piece 61, from the upper portion of which there projects an elastic stop peg formed by the stem '68, able to slide axially in the cavity 69 and forced outwards by the spring The piece 61 has a prolongation H from its lower end, and, through the action of the spring 12 is maintained in the position shown in Figure 5, leaving sufiicient free space for the shuttle 6| to pass.

The stem 68 generally remains on a lower plane, below the plate 35, in such a manner that during the normal functioning, this member does not come into action. When the changing movements are begun and the plate 35 begins to oscillate, the stem 68 is thereby compressed sliding under the inclined flange 36 of the plate 35, and when the batten reaches its rearmost position, the stem projects beyond said inclined flange, and then in the following forward movement of the batten, the inclined flange 36 causes the piece 6'! to oscillate, whereby the prolongation H is brought against the point of the shuttle GI and pushes it as far as the bottom end of the shuttle her is provided mounted box, thus assuring that when the change of spool is brought about the shuttle is always in the correct position.

As may be observed, the mechanism that has just been described presents the essential characteristic consisting in the change not being carried out in a sudden or violent manner nor by means of blows or shakings, but in different periods or operations, and in that the action of the hammer or introducing organism takes place in a progressive manner, exercising a pressure on the new spool to introduce it into the shuttle.

The description given above refers solely to a manner of carrying out the operations suggested as an example, but, as will be understood, all kinds of variations in construction may be intro-' duced as may be suitable in each particular case. For instance, the arrangement that causes the rotation of the axle may be formed by a single lever with direct action, just as the plate 35 may be made to act on the piece 61 by means of an inclined plane or any kind of slide-block, and, lastly, all such details or arrangements may be altered which do not change the essential characteristics of the invention.

The mechanism that is the object of this invention may be easily adapted to automatic looms provided with shuttle boxes for the weaving of various colours, combining a certain number of spool containers which, instead of being fixed onto the framework or mounting, may be mounted on articulated arms, one of which is brought, each time, into the right position to draw out a spool and cause it to pass into the shuttle box. These movements take place, of course, in synchronisation with the movements of the shuttle boxes in which the feeler mechanism acts when the corresponding spool is exhausted.

I claim:

1. A spool changing mechanism for looms, comprising a batten, a shuttle box, a spool container attached to the framework of a loom, feeding means for feeding a spool from said container upon a shuttle in said shuttle box, introducing means rotatably mounted on said batten and contiguous to said shuttle box, said introducing means having a member that may be brought to bear on the spool deposited on the shuttle, means for actuating said spool feeding means when said batten reaches its rearmost position and after said shuttle has been introduced into said shuttle box, means for actuating said introducing means during the following movement of said batten towards its forward position thereby causing said introducing means to exert a pressure on said spool deposited on said shuttle and dislodge the exhausted shuttle through the bottom of said shuttle box in such manner that the movements required for the change of spool are carried out in successive periods and the substitution of an exhausted spool by a new spool is brought about by a pressure that is progressive, thus avoiding blows and shakings.

2. A spool changing mechanism for looms as set forth in claim 1 wherein an oscillating memon a support fixed to said batten in the plane of the trajectory of the shuttle to contact the point of the shuttle and push it out to the end of said shuttle box to ensure correct positioning thereof prior to shuttle change.

3. A spool changing mechanism for looms as set forth in claim 1 wherein an oscillating memher is provided mounted on a support fixed to said batten in the plane of the trajectory of the shuttle to contact the point of the shuttle and push it out to the end of said shuttle box to ensure correct positioning thereof prior to shuttle change, an axle having oscillating movement, an inclined plate connected to said axle and oscillated thereby so that upon oscillation of said axle the movement of the batten will cause said oscillating member to oscillate thru the action of said inclined plate and thereby push the shuttle out to the end of the shuttle box.

4. A spool changing mechanism for looms as set forth in claim 1 wherein there is provided a member adapted to be operated by a, feeler mechanism which comes into play upon weft thread exhaustion, a pivoted lever supporting said mem ber, a rotatable member having a buffer thereon and a runner rod, said first member providing a striking surface On said lever, a pin supported by said batten to strike said lever on the first forward movement of said batten causing a change in the position of both said buffer and said runner rod, so that on the return movement of said batten, said runner rod is actuated thereby to actuate said feeding means when said batten reaches its rearmost position and upon the next advancing movement of said batten the said introducing means are actuated by said buffer.

5. A spool changing mechanism for looms as set forth in claim 1 wherein said means for actuating said spool feeding means and said means for actuating said introducing means comprise an axle transversely mounted with relation to said batten and capable of pivoting a determined angular magnitude, a buffer and a runner rod moved by said axle and a lever actuated by said batten upon the functioning of the weft thread exhaustion feeler mechanism so that said axle is pivoted thereby moving the buffer and the runner rod into position whereby upon consecutive movements of said batten said feeding means and said introducing means are operated respectively.

Josii' MARLET BARRERA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

